War of the Quadrants
by sportschickVLVR
Summary: AU BV. A powerful alliance threatens to destroy the two remaining quadrants. Vegeta, seeing his people's inevitable demise, rushes to Earth. And then Bulma is met with an outrageous proposal from the Sayain king! Their decision can change everything.
1. Prologue

**War of the Quadrants**

**Prologue **

"Sire."

The large but relatively small figure stood brooding towards the window, adorned in a red and white armor with a flowing cape that symbolized royalty. The red seal of his house on his chest plate, he was the image of highness itself. His eyes narrowed, hearing the voice of the low class guard that dared disturb his precious and rare moment of peace.

"What is it?" he growled. "It'd better be worth it…"

"I know it is, sire," the guard assured rather seriously, with no sign of fear in his voice. The king turned to him. If the news was enough for a guard not to be scared, then it was very serious indeed. He had severely punished countless subjects who had the audacity to waste his time with trivial things during a time of war.

He took the opportunity to give the poor soldier a good look over. The king had not seen this soldier before. The Saiyan wore a simple chest plate with no spandex underneath, a sure give away of lower class. Yet the king could not place it, but he felt as if he knew this soldier. Perhaps the father?

"I see," the king spoke softly. "So, what is this devastating news you have brought to me?"

"I have just received word that… the two northern quadrants have made an alliance."

"What?" the king hissed dangerously, advancing on the well suspecting man and grabbing his armor. "You know this to be true?"

The subject nodded firmly, no doubts giving way to fear. The king let go and turned back to the window with an aggravated growl.

"The Tuffles…" he cursed to himself. "How was the alliance sealed?" he asked a bit louder, directed at the guard. No sooner had the question left his mouth had he close his eyes and sighed, realizing that he need not have asked when he already knew the answer.

"Princess Doema and Prince Stalenen were wed today."

"Princess Doema? Why not the older daughter: Princess Hesfra?"

"Prince Stalenen just turned eighteen today."

"Ah," the king mumbled in acknowledgement. Yes it would be ridiculous for the prince to wed a 35 year old when he was ten years the junior. "And how did you learn of this?"

"My father recently created a scouter that intercepts Tuffle communications. Before he was sent away on a mission yesterday, he asked me to test it out. Today I tried it on, and the first thing I came across was the Tuffle public announcement."

"I see. What is your name, soldier?"

"Kakorott Son."

Kakorott Son… the name seemed very familiar today. He gave a glance at the Saiyan and couldn't help but admire his boldness in coming in here alone. Another man, less faithful and more stupid would have gone through one of the elites, leaving the credit to be forever lost to them. The man obviously had some intelligence… maybe. And he'd been waiting to test his new theory out.

Tapping the device on his ear on, the king waited for the screen over his left eye to flicker on. "Computer, promote Kakorott Son to elite. He will now be my personal guard and companion." Not failing to hear the gasp of surprise from the new elite, the king turned towards his new guard questioningly.

"Sire, I humbly and gratefully accept the promotion, but I must assure you that my father deserves most of the credit for building this scouter," Kakorott admitted carefully, bowing his head.

"I admire your bluntness and courage around me. That is why I promoted you. You have already shown your respect for the throne, so as my new personal companion you will not need to. You are practically royalty now. But yes, your father deserves a promotion as well. He built the scouter on his own and he's not in the science and technology department?"

"Yes, sire. He's only a soldier. His name is Bardock Son," Kakorott explained, standing straight up again to comply with the king's wishes.

"Computer," the king called, tapping the scouter again. "Promote Bardock Son to elite and place him as head of the Science and Technologies department." Turning the scouter off, the king looked to his guard.

"The last head died two nights ago in an accident involving ki deflecting machines, so it fits perfectly. Now, go to Nappa and inform him of your promotion so he may give you your new elite armor. When Bardock returns I shall tell him the same. Now go."

Bowing respectfully out of habit, Kakorott made his exit. The king sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration, grateful to be alone to think once again.

The quadrants had been at war for generations. Three of his fore-fathers had died old men without seeing an end to the massive war. The king's eyes closed in an attempt to dream the issues away. He was determined not to die before ending this war, especially as the head of the southeast quadrant.

He didn't even have an heir yet, but that seemed to work to his advantage in this case. There was no way the now 'north hemisphere' could be defeated by just the southeast quadrant.

But maybe… just maybe… if a 'south hemisphere' were formed…

Snarling in determination and realization, the king swept out the doors and marched toward the pod bay. "Computer, have two pods ready for me at the bay and tell Kakorott Son to meet me there after receiving his elite armor."

When he busted open the doors to the launch bay, Kakorott was already waiting fo him in his new elite armor.

"You still have your father's scouter?" the king asked, referring to whether or not the scouter on Kakorott's face was his fathers.

"Yes, sire."

"Good. Monitor the transmissions, and if anything comes up do not hesitate to inform me."

"Yes, sir. Why are we leaving Vegetasei?"

"We are going to make an urgent diplomatic trip to the head of the southwest quadrant," the king explained, calculating how long the journey would take.

"There are two. Do you mean Namek?" Kakorott asked, programming his heading towards the west and shutting his pod door as he seated himself in. The king climbed into his, latched his door as well, and turned his scouter on 'communicate'.

"No, just set yours to follow mine," the king explained before shutting off his scouter.

"King Vegeta," the computer greeted. "What is your destination?"

Vegeta smirked. "The planet Earth."


	2. A Random But Necessary Marriage

**War of the Quadrants**

**Chapter 1: A Random But Necessary Marriage

* * *

**

The raven-haired woman walked nervously into the large, dome shaped room as she checked again and again that the message had been right and read correctly with her own two, dark-brown eyes. She opened the door earnestly and approached the desk, which sheltered behind it another woman, kneeling away from the visitor to retrieve a fallen pen. "Madam President, two Saiyan space pods are asking permission to land."

The figure now standing in front of the desk seemed to stiffen before whirling around. "SAIYAN space pods? SAIYAN?" she repeated, giving a few good hard blinks with her cerulean eyes.

"Yes. They say they have urgent news regarding the north quadrants and have a proposition." The news bearer adjusted her dark red dress as bit, unable to keep from fidgeting at the rare events occurring.

"What do they have about the northern quadrants?" the president snapped suddenly, eager to get her hands on any information about her rival quadrants.

"They wouldn't tell me. They said they'd only speak to you directly. BUT they DID slip something about a 'northern hemisphere'."

"A northern hemisphere…" the president repeated slowly. That was only possible if… the northwest and northeast quadrants made an alliance? If the Saiyans were daring enough to come alone in two space pods, unarmed, they must've realized only a southern hemisphere would be able to take a northern one.

But Saiyans? At her door? They were hundreds of times stronger than either Earthlings or Namekians. Few humans on Earth learned to master the energy in their bodies and form ki blasts like every Saiyan in Vegetasei could. Had it not been for Vegetasei's stalemate with Tuffle and the highly superior technology of Earth, the humans would've been long eradicated by the Saiyans. Luckily Vegeta XV was smart enough to realize that Earth and Namek kept Arlia and Liblya at bay so that the Saiyans and Atrosians could focus on the two Tuffle planets.

Now that she thought about it, the 'northern hemisphere' was smart to make the alliance. Though it was supposedly a 'War of the Quadrants', the two northern hemispheres had never had a serious dispute like those between Vegetasei and Tuffle. It had always been northeast vs. southeast, northwest vs. southwest. But Earth also had to worry about its eastern enemy as well as its northern counterpart, giving Earth the feeling of being surrounded. Had it not been for Namekian lack of necessity for food, a good ¾ of the human population would have succumbed to starvation during the historic Five Year Siege by Liblya and Arlia.

The war had gone on so long that no one truly knew who had started it or how it began. It was a mystery who attacked who first or who declared war on who before an 'all quadrants for themselves' broke loose. She groaned in annoyance as she replayed the known history over and over in her head. This war was devastating to all the planets involved. There was once a time when it was all about beating others to the punch of strength and power, using the excuse of 'defense' to grow in such magnitude. Each planet's energy was focused into its specialty. Vegetasei focused on becoming the strongest, Earth, Atrosia, Liblya and Tuffle strained to become the most technologically advanced, and the Nameks and Arlians tried to beat each other out. After all, they had to be prepared for an attack. But once the attacks started, the 'growth period' only served to make the war much more devastating than any could have possibly imagined.

Army after army fell to alien hands, each of the four planets loosing tremendously in the bargain. Each planet had lost a considerable amount of its population to the military, and each military had lost most viciously at one point or another, leaving the planets scratching at the other's eyes and on edge for new information about its enemies. Northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast…. Why couldn't they have just named it the goddamned North, South, East and West? This whole hemisphere business would actually make it a lot easier for the historians to write down. She supposed if it had been just NSEW, then the two hemispheres would've been "northeast" and "southwest," which would've STILL been very tedious to deal with.

"Madam?"

Jogged from her thoughts, the blue haired leader redirected the same color eyes to her trusted and befriended secretary and advisor.

"I'm sorry, Chi-Chi. It's just that their arrival caught me a little off guard." She stopped for a moment, falling down into her chair as she gave an aggravated cry. "Alright," she agreed, seeing no other action to take. "Go ahead and let them in. Bring them to this room."

"To your personal room?" Chi gaped, unable to hold her surprise.

"Yes. I have the feeling that the discussion will be of the highest priority and security, otherwise they wouldn't have come in the flesh."

"I understand. Well I'll take care of it. Don't worry, Bulma."

The President sighed as her best friend left the room. She barely had time to close her eyes and mentally prepare herself for the Saiyans before the door burst open and two angry people stormed inside, followed by an uneasy and uncomfortable looking person.

"Bulma, I'm sorry," Chi-Chi huffed with an annoyed expression after the smaller Saiyan who had burst in first. "Apparently they got fed up with waiting and landed without permission."

"This matter is IMPORTANT and requires IMMEDIATE attention! I suppose from my little slip up you've figured out why we've come. The rumors say you're a smart woman," the Saiyan all but shouted to Bulma, completely ignoring Chi-Chi.

Hearing such authority come out of the smaller Saiyan caused Bulma to give him a good look over. From first glance she knew he was undeniably handsome, even with his cold eyes and rigid jaw, not to mention his mouth, which seemed to forever be locked in either a scowl or a smirk. He was wearing an interesting set of armor, consisting of red spandex underneath white and golden edged armor plating. A dark blue, almost black, cape flowed behind him, though there was a blood red side that went against his back. There was a crest embodied on his left breastplate that Bulma assumed to be the crest of Vegetasei. His hands and feet were covered in perfectly white gloves and boots, though his boots were gold tipped. Looking absolutely regal, she briefly wondered if he was the king and why the king would come in person. Surely the northern alliance wouldn't worry him so much that he would rush over to Earth…

"_He must not have told his people yet and couldn't have anyone sent here," _Bulma reasoned.

"_You're right. I haven't_," his voice echoed in her head, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. She'd heard rumors of the Saiyan's powerful mental abilities, but never knew them to be true. Until this point, she'd never met a Saiyan and yet within one minute of a couple barging through her door, most of the whispers about them were being slowly eradicated from her mind.

They certainly didn't look savage, disregarding their royal appearance and the impenetrable scowl on the must-be king. The stories of their size must've been greatly exaggerated as well, for the bigger Saiyan was probably almost 6 feet tall: not the fifteen feet the common population labeled them as. And the cliché that all Saiyans were brutal was clearly mistaken, for the larger Saiyan wore a look of nervousness: far from the look of a blood-thirsty were-monkey.

"You're right. I did figure it out. But before we get down to business with details, I think an introduction is in order. You obviously know I am President Bulma Briefs. This here is my trusted advisor: Chi-Chi Kaung. And unless Saiyan elites are more grandeur than I thought, you are King Vegeta."

A little taken aback at being talked to so boldly and like and equal, Vegeta nodded. "This is my royal guard and companion: Kakorott Son."

"Alright. So how do you know an alliance between Tuffle and Leblya has been made? Who married who?'

"How did you know it was Liblya?" Kakorott interrupted, a little suspicious.

"Arlians are not humanoid, nor are they compatible with Tuffles. Leblya is one of the major power points of the northwest quadrant, meaning it would be ideal for an alliance," Bulma explained simply, earning a nod of approval from Vegeta.

"Correct. It was Prince Stalenen from Leblya and Princess Doema from Tuffle."

"Ah. Hesfra is too old?" Bulma mused.

"Correct again, it seems," Vegeta approved. It was his turn to give her a good look over. Wearing a nice dark blue dress that matched her hair and eye coloring nicely. The straps were professional yet fitting. The dress fell down to her knees, curing outward a bit that seemed to almost twirl if she moved. Yes. She would do.

"So what is your proposal?" Bulma asked in an interested manner, though she figured she already knew the gist of it. She didn't even realize what a calculating look over the Saiyan was giving her.

"You've probably figured out that the only way to match a northern hemisphere is to create a southern one. So how about it? Earth, Namek, Vegetasei, and Atrosia working together."

At the mention of the other planets, Bulma frowned deeply. "I cannot speak for Namek and the other small planets in our quadrant, and I sure as hell don't think you're also representing Atrosia."

To her surprise, he let out a mighty guffaw, which seemed to equally surprised Kakorott as his mouth dropped open. "You're absolutely right, woman. But think for a moment of what would happen if the people of your section found out about the north hemisphere. It would be much better received if they knew you had counter-acted by forming the southern one with Vegetasei."

He drove a very strong point. Though the people did not exactly love the southeastern quadrant, they would easily recognize the dangers of going against the north alone.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bulma admitted with a nod to Vegeta's offer. "So what's our plan? Oh wait. Let me get us a table."

Wondering how long it was going to take for her to call someone to retrieve a table, Kakorott and Vegeta were surprised to see her take out a little capsule, click the top, and throw it in an empty space to reveal a table with chairs.

Giving a prolonged blink, Vegeta slowly sat at the table, following suit of Bulma and Chi-Chi. Chi had a laptop, preparing it to record the conference.

"That's unsafe," Kakorott informed Chi, catching wind of what she was doing. He took out a spare scouter from who-knows-where and handed it to her. "I've disconnected this one so no one can access it, but it will still pick up our conversation."

"Oh, thank you," Chi-Chi muttered gratefully as she fumbled to put the scouter on correctly.

"Very good, Kakorott. Now it is common knowledge that Namekians are equal in strength to the Arlians and that Earth is a bit higher in technology to Leblya, making it about 4/5 that of Tuffle technology. Is this true?" After a nod from an engrossed Bulma and Chi-Chi, Vegeta continued.

"Now there are certain aspects of your technology that Atrosia can fill, meaning that after a combination, you may be more advanced than the Tuffles by a small amount. However, the two Tuffle planets have better and a larger supply of resources, specifically metals. This means that to win, you will still need the fighting support of the Saiyans.

"I've had an idea in mind for some time about a machine that will allow the person in it to train at a higher set gravity. The Atrosians have no been able to completely master and mass produce it properly, but I am sure you can. If we allow all the south planets to train in these machines, we may have a decisive advantage. The Nameks will be able to overpower the Arlians for sure. Another point will be that with Earth and Atrosia's combined technology, Atrosia should easily take on Leblya. That leaves the two Tuffle planets to Earth and Vegetasei."

Bulma slowly took his plan in, giving Vegeta an admired look and smiled. "I see you've planned this out well. And yes, we've already created a gravity room like the one you described. Our military has been using it to no avail. I was to have a meeting with Guru, the leader of the Nameks, to discuss shipment to his world. But I see now that it would be equally, if not more, useful in Saiyan hands."

"But I have one simple problem with this. If we do conquer the north, then what will happen after the war? With our collaboration with Atrosia, they will be able to match us, and with Saiyan help your two worlds will easily be able to overpower our quadrant."

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk. She had the keen senses and pick-ups he'd expected of her. "I see the distrust between our forefathers has continued. But I have a simple solution."

"Oh?" Bulma asked, completely and clearly intrigued. Kakkorot and Chi- Chi exchanged glances, equally interested but having an idea of where he was going.

"You need assurance that Vegetasei will not betray Earth. A clear cut insurance. That is why you, President Briefs, must become my queen and bear my heir."

There was a moment's pause before Chi-Chi, who had been tipping her chair forward anxiously, finally succumbed to gravity and fell unfashionably off. Bulma barely registered Chi's fall, her thoughts completely focused on the words she'd just heard. Actually… it was more of a demand than a suggestion.

Chi-Chi, still more surprised about Vegeta's demand than her fall, ungracefully slapped her hand on the table and pulled herself up. Had Kakorott not been equally as shocked and actually noticed her fall, he most likely would've assisted her. Vegeta, having fully expected the reactions, looked at Bulma expectantly for agreement.

"I… I see," she whispered, looking down at the wooden table in hard concentration. Here, a man she'd just met, of a species she was supposedly at war with, was requesting that she marry him to save both of their planets.

She was absolutely dumbfounded at what to say. She's always hoped… no… she'd always KNOWN, that she would marry for love and happiness. Yet here, a man she'd quite literally met ten minutes ago, just asked for her hand in marriage. No… he'd suggested, if even that.

Her mind reeled at the thought of her possible future. What would it be like to be queen of Vegetasei? Would he make her live there? Would he let her keep her responsibility to Earth? Or would he force her away to claim her as his own?

More importantly, how would he treat her?

She glanced up at him, attempting to find the answer by the expression on his face. He looked so… unemotional. He just stared at her, waiting impatiently for her answer, but with a half smirk that seemed to imply he knew what her answer had to be. She couldn't help but shoot him an annoyed face, but lowered her eyes again as she desperately weighed her options.

He could be lying. He could just be deceiving her into marrying him so he could kill her off and claim Earth. But the look on his face… the feeling she got from him. The northern hemisphere was no joke. If he truly was the king, which she was almost sure he was, then he wouldn't have risked coming here with only one other Saiyan if there was not a real threat. And if he had more ships, their censors would've picked them up a solar system away.

Would their marriage really be that beneficial? It would ensure the Earth's safety if she bore an heir for him. He did not have a queen yet and Saiyans were too honorable to go around having children with anyone. So he had to marry someone higher up, which she fit into. She didn't even know the 'down sides' yet. But regardless of the downsides, they couldn't possibly outweigh keeping her planet safe, could they?

He could hear her frantic thoughts. She knew it from the expression he was giving her. Impatient and patient at the same time: almost refraining from saying something to make her hurry up. He was suffocating her with his penetrating eyes, almost boring down into her innermost debates and battles about his proposition. But the battle had already been won.

"_This is ridiculous_," she growled to herself mentally, unable to hold back her scowl. If the north quadrant was right, then there'd be no way. The first tactical move they would make would be to crush her quadrant and then move on to Vegetasei. If she didn't… they would lose. There was no other choice. Could there be another alternative? Even if there was, time was short.

She would have to do it. She would have marry King Vegeta of Vegetasei. She didn't care what happened to her. This would keep Earth safe. This might end the war. She might yet be able to see the battle of the universe end within her lifetime. Her generation would always have a place in history. And she would have a place in the books as Earth's president and Vegetasei's Queen… And he would need to take her to Vegetasei to have her been crowned. And certainly by the time they arrived there, she would find out if this was a hoax or not. Usually she didn't claim herself to be a good judge of character or such, but the feeling she got from 'the king' gave her no doubts about his words or his proposal. There would be no questioning his word…

How long had they been sitting there in silence? Chi-Chi, who had by now taken her seat, was looking sadly at what seemed like an interesting spot on the table, and Kakkorot could not seem to contain his uneasiness at the situation.

"Very well." She stared at the table, not wanting to avert her eyes towards Vegeta's direction by accident.

"Bulma, no!" Chi-Chi screeched, standing abruptly though just settling in her chair. She pounded her fist on the table, not getting as much as a blink from Bulma. "You promised me! You said you would marry for happiness, not for political reasons!" she pleaded forcefully.

"Chi-Chi, I understand why you're upset-"

"You're President, not the queen! Please… there's got to be another way. If we-"

"Chi-Chi," Bulma cut in softly, staring blankly ahead, though her tone immediately silenced her long time friend. "Nothing would make me happier than seeing an end to this war. Not even marrying a man I choose. I understand that." Bulma looked to Chi-Chi, eyes quivering. "I should have made you understand that when I made that promise."

Chi-Chi sagged defeated and sat back in her chair. The mode only lasting for a bit as she accepted the statement, she smiled at Bulma and Vegeta before chirping, "So when's the wedding?"

Eye twitching at Chi-Chi's sudden change in mood, Vegeta managed to grumble out, "Today."

"Today?" the other three exclaimed, Vegeta never ceasing to amaze them.

"Yes. The north and south hemisphere's will be forged the same month. History will not classify us as slow to take action. So," Vegeta mused, attention turning to Bulma. "Any lovers or courtiers that you need to bid farewell before we leave?"

"Of course not! What do you take me for?" she snapped. "Wait… leave?"

"For Vegetasei."

"But we can't make it back today!" Kakorott exclaimed. "It took us two weeks just to get here!"

"Relax Kakorott. We can take the president's ship," Vegeta explained, smirking as Bulma's face dropped considerably.

"How did you find out about that?" she whispered lowly.

"It's Atrosia's job to find out about our rival planets. And its our business to get it out of them," Vegeta elaborated slyly. "Project EWT was it called? You meant it to be a prototype, but your calculations were so well done that there was no need for a second ship. I was very impressed by your work as a physicist. It's also said that you found a code to transfer matter to energy and back again while keeping the desired form. I always thought they were rumors until I saw this," Vegeta said slickly, knocking his hand on the table.

"I thought the same of your mental abilities," Bulma admitted with a smile. "So yes. I'll capsulate your pods and we'll take my ship to Vegetasei, but we're not doing anything until we're legally married HERE first!" she demanded simply.

Vegeta, with every passing second assuring him of his good choice, couldn't refrain a half smile. One of the reasons she was regarded so highly was because of her love for her people and her fierce determination to stick to her customs. So she wanted to be married on Earth first, did she? Well that wasn't too much of a problem. At least she agreed to the union.

With a nod, he stood abruptly. "Lead the way."

"You mean… right this moment?"

"Of course. The sooner we get married here, the more likely we can leave in time and make it back to Vegetasei today."

"Ok. Well the fastest thing is to just call a priest here. And I know one who can get here pretty fast. Chi-Chi? You wouldn't mind would you? I need to go over it with Vegeta."

"Of course! No problem."

With a busy air about her, Chi bustled out the room.

"Okay. If I tell him to speed things up, then all you have to do is say 'I do' after he asks 'Do you, Vegeta… um... son of Vegeta, take Bulma Briefs to be your lawfully wedded wife?'. Got it?"

A snort and a curt nod from his was the answer.

"Right. Now… Kakorott and Chi-Chi can be our witnesses. Then we have to sign a paper and we'll be officially married."

"Wonderful," Vegeta replied sarcastically. "The faster the better."

She looked at him carefully. This was so surreal, marrying him on a whim like this. Maybe this was all a dream and she'd wake up soon.

"You can at least pretend to be concerned about something that will affect the rest of both our lives," Bulma scolded with a small frown.

"I should've told you that I'm not one to leap with emotion. Expect nothing of the sort from me," Vegeta growled with finality in the sneer he shot at her.

"I don't care whether or not you're Romeo!" she snapped, earning a questioning look from Vegeta of who this 'Romeo' must be. "I'm just saying you can try to act a bit more serious about this. More KING-like."

"I AM serious about EVERYTHING I do. This is a political marriage, not one for you pleasure!" he barked in response, causing her eyes to narrow and brows to furrow.

"I AM AWARE OF OUR SITUATION!" she screamed, unable to contain herself. "It's just that when I agreed to this marriage, I had no idea I'd be marrying a JACKASS!"

The meaning of 'jackass' finally registering, he looked just about ready to kill. Next, he seemed to be in deep thought. Then he was just outright laughing.

"I'm glad YOU'RE the president," he chuckled. "Not only do you put up a semi-decent fight, but you can amuse me as well."

Before she could realize that was a slick compliment from him, she was snarling and gnashing at him. Had Chi-Chi not come back into the room at the right moment and held her back, it was certain that Bulma would have foolishly tried to tackle Vegeta, who by now was guffawing like he'd never guffawed before.

"This is the bride and groom?" a voice exclaimed in shock and slight amusement from the doorway. The room seemed to freeze as they all eyed the priest standing in the doorway.

"Unfortunately, yes," Kakorott sighed.

"I see."

"Wow. You're here already?" Bulma questioned in shock and disbelief, suddenly calm and sagging loosely by the armpits in Chi-Chi's hold. "That was fast." This had to be some sort of crazy fiction story.

"That's good, because time is imperative," Vegeta reminded them.

"So I've heard," the priest mused. "The two witnesses can sign this…" he explained, gesturing to a folder of papers he'd placed on the table as he entered. "also in there is the paper the bride and groom will sign later. A political marriage, eh President Briefs?"

She nodded and smiled weakly at him.

"Such a shame. A lot of men will be disappointed to hear of that. But onwards," the priest moved on, catching the death glare Vegeta was sending him. The two moved up in front of him, both standing rather impatiently. "Do you, um… Vegeta, son of Vegeta?- take Bulma Briefs to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," he grunted dully.

"Do you , Bulma Briefs, take King Vegeta to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"_I cannot fucking believe this. Is that really all we need to do to get married? (sigh) Let's see… negative: he's a jackass and an arrogant prick. Positive: Our marriage will create the south hemisphere and will ensure that Vegetasei doesn't turn on Earth so long as I pop out a kid. Bonus points: He's rather good looking. ;D"_

"_I'm glad you recognize my 'good looks'," _she heard him inform her mentally with a suppressed chuckle.

Blushing furiously as she tore her gaze from his smoldering amusement, she managed to squeak "I do." Then she mentally reminded herself to get used to his mental capabilities.

"Then with the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now… er…" Taking note of the warning glare Bulma was sending him, the priest immediately realized it was directed at him. He quickly corrected himself, finishing with, "…. Sign these papers! Yes. HERE!" He promptly snatched up the documents in question and proceeded to shove them in the new couple's faces.

"Thank you, Krillin," Bulma thanked softly as she bent down to sign the papers, smiling as though she were looking at him. "I'm sorry I rushed you so much."

"Ah, it's nothing!" Krillin assured, putting on a goofy grin and scratching the back of his head. "I'm just sorry it wasn't me!" They both shared a hearty laugh together before noticing the death glare Vegeta was sending both of them. After abruptly setting down, Bulma handed the paper to her husband.

"So you folks leaving for Vegetasei today? I assume that's why you were in such a-"

"How did you know we're Saiyan?" Kakorott cut in.

"Well the tails are a dead giveaway, but if I hadn't noticed that I still would've known by your power levels," Krillin explained with a shrug.

"What?" Vegeta snapped, immediately coming into the conversation. "You can detect power levels? But I thought you were a priest."

"I was ordained one," Krillin revealed with a nod. "But I'm actually in the military now. I train soldiers on how to form and use ki energy." With that, he held his palm up and formed a ki ball in it as proof.

"I see," Vegeta hissed, eyes narrowing. He took this opportunity to really look 'the priest' over. He was rather short, probably about the size of a Saiyan child. He obviously shaved and waxed his head, for his hairless top was gleaming unnaturally. He was wearing some sort of orange gi with a strange symbol on the front. It was probably the symbol of his regiment or something. His regiment in the Earth army… making him the enemy. However, as he turned to Bulma his face softened, if only a little. The Earth military was no longer his enemy, no matter how little of a threat to him they were in the first place. He would have to remember that.

He fought back a sigh as he quickly barked, "We need to leave. Go pack your things. You have five minutes." Rolling her eyes, Bulma realized she had no right to complain since she could, indeed, pack everything in five minutes with her capsules.

"In case I haven't told you all," Bulma started as she walked over to her closet and started to throw all the clothes into a pile, "This is my personal room."

"Good. Then I can help you pack so you don't waste time," Vegeta sneered, moving over to the closet breaking off the bar that all the hangers were on. He threw the whole bar, clothes and all, into her 'pile' and looked at her expectantly to capsulate it.

"Thank you…. Dear….." she hissed sarcastically as she moved over to her clothes and started to pile them in a box she'd grabbed. "Would you move my desk over here too? I'll include everything in the same capsule," she ordered Vegeta, going back over to the closet to put her shoes in a separate box.

Had he not been in a hurry, he would not have complied with her demands. But unfortunately, he was in a VERY big hurry to get back to Vegetasei. He had left without warning. The people would be wondering what had become of their king. He really didn't know why he'd left so… compulsively. That day, he'd done a lot of spontaneous things. Like his generous promotion to Kakorott and Bardock. What had come over him? Gods… he should've kept better control. Even though he HAD been crowned King the day before.

"Chi-Chi, where are you going?" Bulma's voice interrupted his thoughts, snapping him back to Earth.

"I'm going to pack."

"… pack?" Bulma repeated, dumbfounded.

"Of course! I'm coming with you!" she exclaimed as if it were obvious and final.

"Is… is that okay?" Bulma asked, looking to Vegeta. Normally she would DEMAND that he allow her friend to come. But… he was taking them to his home planet. There's no telling what they would find there or if this was even all a hoax. She didn't want to put Chi-Chi in unnecessary danger…

"As long as she keeps her harpy mouth shut when I'm around then fine," Vegeta negotiated, setting the desk down with a thud next to the clothes. "And you don't need the clothes. You'll have everything you need at the palace."

"I figured that, but I still wanted to bring some of my Earth clothing," Bulma reasoned, finally placing everything in a single capsule. Chi-Chi, who had stormed out of the room after Vegeta's approval of her journey with them, also returned with a single capsule.

"Would you mind putting this in your pack? I forgot to get one with a lock on it and I'm afraid it'll open while it's in my pocket or something."

"Sure, Chi."

"Are we ready?" Vegeta cut in, irritated, as he started to walk out the door. "It's been five minutes!"

"Bye Krillin. Thanks for everything. I'm sure I'll see you again someday! Oh, and about our 'visitors,' please keep it hush hush for now. I decided that once Vegeta and I are married on Vegetasei as well, I'll announce the marriage and why it happened."

"You're the president!" Krillin agreed with a happy, half-sad nod. "Yes, we'll see each other again." Chi-Chi also gave him a friendly goodbye smile as they all left.

They followed Bulma to the launch bay, taking in the grandeur hallways that decorated the building. Bulma couldn't hold back a sigh as she hurried through the maze of hallways. It would probably be a while until she set foot in the building again: the Administrative Headquarters. It wasn't exactly a fancy name for the building with the President living it in, but she liked it. The interior was adorned in historic painting and figures and sculptures. The Earth crest was boldly displayed on the dark blue tapestries that flowed from the walls. Blue was an important color to Earth. It became somewhat of a favorite color that represented it, considering that most of the planet was dark blue water. She didn't like to think that her coloring had been a great factor in her election of president, also considering that her father was the president before her, but she knew that no matter how she or her counterpart had campaigned, the subconscious thought of the people could not be swayed.

Her thoughts came back to the moment at hand as she realized they were turning into the launch bay, more specifically HER launch bay. It held one of her most prized possessions: her beautiful baby Blue Dragon. And she'd built it by herself, and ONLY herself! It was a cliché name, but she loved the massive ship anyway. It held everything a president could ever want: guest quarters, her own personal quarters, a kitchen, several bathrooms, and of course the WT engine was always handy in getting around the universe at fast speeds. It also had the most advance defensive and offensive mechanisms, created by her of course.

She smiled as she gladly appraised herself for the paint job. It was a dark blue with black waves, giving the appearance of waves crashing to whomever the ship was heading to. From a ship viewing a side profile, they would only see a black blur, barely detectable in the dark vastness of space, if the Blue Dragon were going at a ridiculously fast speed.

"I've already had a few of my men capsulate your pods. They're on the ship," Bulma explained, saving Vegeta the trouble of asking.

She watched as everyone boarded, her new husband looking slightly impressed but determined to hide it. Kakorott looked rather odd, and Bulma briefly wondered what was wrong with him until his stomach growled loudly. Hiding a snicker, she quickly clambered aboard as well and pointed him in the direction of the kitchen.

She headed in the direction of the CIC, which doubled as the bridge, and quickly punched in the headings for Vegetasei. Making sure to have the ship send an alert if anything were going to be in the way between the two planets, she collapsed in her chair and turned to the viewing window. She'd watched it numerous times, but still liked to view the two beacons sticking out in front of the ship each release a bright red beam that met a ways away. She grinned at her own brilliance as a rift started to open, sucking the ship into the wormhole. The ship rumbled a bit, making Bulma feel a bit nervous about the dampeners she'd installed, but she quickly suppressed the fears. She'd done this numerous times. There was no need to doubt her own ingenuity!

"How long until we arrive?" Vegeta demanded, popping up behind her and looking in slight awe at the interior of the wormhole.

"About an hour."

"How are you keeping the wormhole stable?" Vegeta asked he sat in the chair next to her. Giving him a glance, she realized how absolutely exhausted he looked.

"What do you mean?" she countered, not feeling like answering his question in complete detail.

"If one side of the wormhole is broken off, then the whole wormhole is broken and we will all be dematerialized," Vegeta stated expertly.

"I'm impressed. Obviously you've done your homework. But the ship works slightly different than that. As it travels through, there are two beacons on the back that keep the wormhole open behind it, allowing the wormhole left behind to close without affecting the rest of the connection."

"Ah I see," Vegeta stated with a nod. "The Atrosians have the ability to create the wormhole in the same manner as you, but we do not use it in fear that someone will follow us through on the other side."

"Exactly. But with the two beacons the original entry point is closed. Someone would have to be waiting for us to pass and quickly jump in at the point of the two beacons, so there is still a possibility of that happening. It's not likely though." She closed her eyes and slouched in her seat in a futile attempt to rest. With a groan, Bulma realized that it wasn't the time to fall asleep and forced her posture straight again, snapping her eyes back open.

Vegeta watched as she struggled with her sleepiness. He'd known the second he saw her that he would follow through with his plan to marry the woman. And his thoughts had only been confirmed as he saw the quick wit and sharp tongue she displayed. The whole trip to Earth he'd been trying to work a way around marrying the president yet still giving Earth some kind of insurance, but once he arrived he figured, 'Why run from a good thing?'

Chi-Chi yelled in annoyance as Kakarott practically ravaged the refrigerator, leaving in his wake a large and disgusting mess. The trail to the table of ketchup was undeniably his as he sat there, table covered with plates of food, shamelessly stuffing his face.

"KAKOROTT!" she screeched, picking up a random frying pan and whacking him over the head with it. She figured that as a Saiyan, it wouldn't hurt him too much or give him brain damaged.

Nearly chocking on his food, he managed to squeeze out a, "What?" before spitting out a chicken bone.

"If you wanted something to eat you should have asked me! There is no need for you to be completely destroying the only kitchen on the ship!" She couldn't believe he'd managed to create such a disaster. The kitchen was 20 by 20 feet, and yet it seemed that every inch was covered in ketchup, mayonnaise, soda or mustard.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't figure out how to open them and they kind of exploded!"

"Kakorott? What is going on here?" Vegeta barked, walking into the room and floating over the mess to avoid his white boots being tainted by the yellow, black, or red spatters on the floor.

"Oh Vegeta! You're here!" Kakorott exclaimed, rushing over to him with a Coke in his hand. "You've got to try this! It's almost like Saiyan beer, but it doesn't get you drunk!"

Vegeta inspected the can suspiciously before glancing up at Kakorott. "Have your lips touched this can?"

With a frown, Kakorott nodded.

"Then mine will not," Vegeta declared with finality, pushing the can away from him. With a slight groan of annoyance, Kakorott rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out another one.

"Here!" With a judgmental look, he carefully opened and sipped a bit of the Coke. Eyes narrowed, he relaxed a bit as he felt the bubbles crackled and pop on his tongue.

"It's… okay," Vegeta halfway lied, taking the next sip as an opportunity to drain the can. Crushing the can, he effortlessly tossed it straight into the trash and returned to Bulma on the bridge.

"What happened?" Bulma asked in a bored manner.

"Just our goonies fighting over food. Kakorott is ranting about how Coke is the greatest thing that he's ever tasted and is practically consuming the entire 'six pack' or whatever that harpy called it."

Frowning at Vegeta's nicknames of 'goonies' and 'harpy' for Chi-Chi, she made a mental note to loosen him up during their marriage. Her eyes widened in shock as she slowly took in that they were, in fact married.

What about the… honeymoon? "_Dear god…_" Whenever he talked about 'bearing an heir', she hadn't really, actually, deeply thought about… how… they were going to 'bear an heir'. She glanced over at him. Sure he was handsome… okay… he was just plain damn hot…but…

But nothing. She was married to him. What better excuse was that? She grinned wickedly and quickly turned away from him as his head snapped in her direction.

What the hell was she looking at? Whatever. No matter. He was tired… really tired… He closed his eyes and slouched in his chair a bit. He would just rest his eyes. Yea… just rest his eyes…

Hell. He was safe on the ship for now.

……

"Vegeta?"

He kept his eyes closed but growled in annoyance as he heard his new mate's voice penetrate the wonderful dream he'd been having. It'd been a while since he'd had a dream… and now he forgot exactly what he'd been dreaming about.

"Vegeta. We're almost there." His eyes snapped open and he sat up in his chair a bit, rolling his neck and releasing a popping sound. Vegeta looked over to Bulma, who looked like she'd just woken up as well.

"Wow…" she whispered as she looked out the window. She stood up and walked towards the front, as if that would get her a better look. "Is… is that it?"

She had to remind herself to breath as she looked at the beautiful planet. Red… blood red… but in a beautiful way. Clouds swirled randomly to create a gloomy, strawberry like milkshake. As they came closer she could see the gigantic mountains that popped up in random places, one formation creating a beautiful spiral that seemed to lead into a gigantic city that she could see even from the depths of space.

"My god… that city is huge."

"That is Vegetasei, as in the city. It's where our palace is," Vegeta elaborated, also getting up from his chair to stand by her and point special areas out.

She halfway took it in as he explained a few things about the planet.

"What do you think?" he asked, a question that normally wouldn't come from him. But his pride wanted to hear her response as he smirked at the awe on her face.

"It's gorgeous," she replied softly and sincerely. They took their seats as the ship rumbled form entering the atmosphere.

"Why are they allowing us to land?" Bulma asked, realizing that no one tried to stop or contact the ship.

"The sensors can detect that Kakorott and I are onboard. And even if we did receive a confirmation request, Kakorott probably already took care of it."

The ship landed in the gigantic city, which grew larger as they entered deeper and deeper into it. With a thud the ship landed about ten yards from the enormous building that Bulma took as the palace.

"The gravity is high, woman, so I will need to escort you to the palace so my ki shield will protect you." She nodded in understanding as the ship finally landed. Seeing Kakorott and Chi-Chi enter the bridge, he quickly ordered, "Kakorott, escort the other Earthling so that she will not be affected by the high gravity. When we go inside the palace I'll have the settings lowered so that they don't need escorts anymore." With a nod from Kakorott, Vegeta decided it was time to leave.

As they walked out on the ramp, Vegeta extended his arm to her. "My Queen?" he beckoned with a half smirk, half taunting smile. Returning the smile warmly, she slipped her arm in lock with his as they marched proudly down to the palace.

Bulma couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed as a large crowd of Saiyans greeted them, cheering and parading as they saw their King walk off the ship. There were hundreds… no thousands of Saiyans roaring in allegiance to their king as he escorted Bulma down to the palace.

"These are your subjects, my queen," he reminded her with a grin as she looked around, dumbfounded at the massive crowd. "Welcome to Vegetasei."


	3. Vegetasei

**War of the Quadrants**

**Chapter 2: Vegetasei

* * *

**

She bit back a gasp as the rowdy crowd of Saiyans seemed to rile up further from Vegeta's proud strut to the palace. Bulma wondered why they were not surprised at her arrival, or her tight hold in Vegeta's arm. Surely they must realize she's not Saiyan. The blue hair and lack of tail were quite obviously un-Saiyan. She kept her eyes locked towards the palace as she slowly started to go closer and closer, until finally they were in front of the gigantic, golden doors that secured the building.

She took a closer look at the thirty feet tall doors, observing the intricate designs that she was positive related to their history. At the top left corner there was some sort of lizard creature that was sending a blast towards a Saiyan in the bottom right. There was a set of lines to indicate that he jumped up to the top right, and then a swirling mist. He then flew down to the bottom left and preceded in decapitating the creature. She closed her mouth, which she discovered to be gaping, as she made a mental note to find out about Vegetasei's history. The battle scene on the door was beautiful and yet showed the intensity of the battle all the same somehow.

Her thoughts about the door were forced aside as the middle cracked open and swung forward to reveal the inside of the palace. She wasn't surprised at how nice it was. The inside of the Administrative Headquarters weren't exactly low budget. But the blood red mixed magnificently with the sun gold made her stare in wonder once again. She didn't know what she'd expected before this. Certainly she'd realized that it wouldn't just be some barbaric, almost third world country like planet where the strong survive over the weak. She knew from meeting the two that they were civilized. But this… this was certainly not included in her thoughts of 'civilized'.

"I see you like it," Vegeta sneered playfully, noticing her impressed look.

"It was a hell of a lot more grandeur than I thought it would be," she admitted honestly, smiling at him as he continued to lead her inside the palace. All the tapestries had the image on the door she'd seen, specifically the part with the Saiyan with the swirling design around him. She couldn't help but notice the large number of palace guards and workers running around and such, a few with scouters on as they talked to an unseen figure. At one point she almost laughed outright as a man was bustling around talking to someone on his scouter, only to find he'd run straight into the man he'd been talking to.

"Computer," Vegeta barked suddenly, startling Bulma a bit as he tapped his own scouter on. "Lower the gravity setting in the palace to Earth standards."

Almost instantly the guards she could see stopped as the scouter started to beep an announcement to them. They then stood still as if preparing for something, and then grinned to each other, bouncing around a bit and teleporting from hall to hall.

Vegeta chuckled. "They always like to test their speed out in such low gravity. It makes them feel like children again. Now, computer, new entry: " He took his scouter off and held it to Bulma like a microphone.

Catching his gist, she quickly said clearly, "Bulma Briefs."

He nodded to her and put the scouter back on, giving it a few more commands in Saiyan before holding his arm out to her again. She complied in taking it as he explained, "I'm going to get you a scouter."

She nodded as he led her around another maze of hallways, which she took note of to remember. After only about thirty seconds, they arrived at a silver door that had a strange language written across it. Bulma assumed it to be Saiyan.

"This is the Science and Technologies department. You're welcome to stop here whenever you like. I know how much you like to tinker with your toys," Vegeta chuckled, giving her a smirk.

She smiled at him in glee as he opened the door to reveal a sinisterly large room filled with important looking scientists running to and fro to different sections of machines and such. A man that looked like the spitting image of Kakorott appeared in front of them, bowing deeply.

"My liege, I thank you profoundly for your promotion and appointment to this department."

Bulma briefly wondered why he was speaking in English. It didn't make sense that he would be speaking in an Earth language on Vegetasei to the King of Vegetasei. "_Maybe it's the scouter_," she mused mentally, observing as the device flashed and beeped every time he said something. "_Perhaps it acts as a universal translator. He must be speaking Saiyan but the translator is allowing me to understand him. And Vegeta. I think I'll look into how that works later…"_

"It is you who deserved it, Bardock," Vegeta replied smoothly with authority. "Without your invention we would not have known about the northern alliance. Now at ease, soldier."

Standing straight up now so that he towered over the two, Bardock seemed to refrain from smiling as he looked at Bulma for the first time and observed her appearance. Obviously HE knew she wasn't Saiyan.

"I take it you are taking measures to counter-act, my liege?"

Vegeta smirked at him. "Very good observation," he chuckled sarcastically. The blue hair was definitely a dead give away. That and she had practically 2 muscle compared to the 99 most Saiyans were made of. "But keep it from everyone else. Surely there are rumors spreading by now due to our arrival, but I don't want anybody to think anything is official until she is crowned."

"Yes, sire," Bardock agreed, giving another deep bow.

"Bardock, I came here because I have a special order for you to make. It is for you, and you alone, clear?" Bardock stood up straight and nodded before Vegeta continued. "I want you to make five class A-6 scouters, dark blue, for me, the woman, your son, and yourself. Make a light green class A-5 for Nappa. A-5 is the scouter you made, and A-6 is the new class for your scouter as well, but with a higher priority. That means that when communicating with the other A-6 scouters, the encryption can only be read by other A-6's. Understood?"

"Crystal clear. I should be able to whip those up in an hour, sire."

"Very good. Send the woman's to my quarters as well as mine. Kakorott should be with another Earthling. Give the remaining A-6 to her."

"Very well, my liege." With a small bow, Bardock turned to attend to his new duty.

"So what now?" Bulma asked, feeling a bit timid due to the grandness of the castle she'd seen so far.

"I suppose I shall have to show you around the palace, now won't I?" he answered with an amused look. It'd been a long time since he had something to take his mind off the war for a bit. Though the whole reason she was there was because of the war. Swiftly turning to exit the room, she gave one last awed sweep of the room before rushing after him. Running to catch up in step with him, she walked with him around a few corners until she found herself in front of a golden door about the size of the entrance. The picture on the front was the same, but had colors added in the picture itself, such as the lizard and Saiyan. The ebony hair and brown tail confirmed her thoughts that the revered figure was indeed Saiyan, but the lizard looked foreign. She didn't have enough time to inspect the colors further, for the door soon cracked in the middle and swung open.

"This is our room," Vegeta explained as he stepped into the blood red and gold room. Her eyes widened to three times their abnormally large size as she observed the even larger than king-sized bed that had red curtains around the golden frame that was perfectly centered against at least a fifty foot wall. Standing in the doorway, she realized that the room itself was another fifty feet long, making it a perfect square. She walked in, taking note of the balcony on the right that seemed to be about as long as the wall it was connected to. She grinned with glee as she stepped in, turning left to walk into the unnecessarily large bathroom, complete with a shower, bathtub, and of course: Jacuzzi and indoor pool. The sink had two facets and the pool was about ten square feet. She returned to the main bedroom, looking down at the lush cream carpet that oddly matched the red and gold set-up. Even the furniture was a blood color.

"It's wonderful!" she breathed as she stopped to put her hands on her lips and survey the room completely. With a childish grin, she gave him a glance before rushing over to the bed and jumping on it. As she impacted, the bed bounced her back with a strangely hard retaliation, sending her flying up a good three feet before gently plopping back on the bed.

"Holy shit!" she shrieked as she collapsed in shock on the bed, scrambling off hurriedly lest another incident like that occur. "Why the hell is it so bouncy?" she demanded, giving Vegeta a hassled and accusing look.

"All the better for later," he explained, giving her a seductive grin. Pupils dilating, she quickly decided to disregard the comment and look away to observe another aspect of the room.

"And how exactly would YOU know about extra bounce. You don't exactly strike me as the pimping type," she joked, turning back to give him a playful smirk.

He laughed heartily, assuming the implied meaning of the word 'pimp', putting his hands on his hips and throwing his head back. His eyes became little slits as his mouth opened to let a roar of laughter escape, stopping almost as soon as he started to look at her with amusement.

"I didn't make it that way, woman. This room has been used by the Kings of Vegetasei for generations."

Her eyes widened and she shrieked disgustingly, scrambling away from the bed completely. "You mean…. DOZENS… of… of…"

With a small frown, he waved her off with his hand to silence her. "No you silly woman. The mattress or sheets aren't what make the bounce. It's the frame of the bed. About four generations ago the king installed it, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine. For every king the lay-out of the room changes, including the MATRESS and SHEETS," he scoffed. "But by tradition, all the original furniture, including the desks, drawers, bed frame, and other various pieces of decoration are kept. So there's no need to fret. The only one who's slept in that bed has been me."

Resisting the urge to ask if that made it just as dirty as she'd thought it was before, she quickly shooed the thought from her mind as she relaxed a bit and nodded.

With a smirk, he motioned for her to follow him as he exited the room, earning a jump from her as the doors automatically shut behind them. Her mind wandered back to the golden designs on all the entryways.

"So tell me," she chatted casually as they walked down the hall together. "What's the significance of the picture on the doors?"

"Ah yes!" he started off, seeming to go into a 'story mode'. "It is how the royal family came to be. It was the year the war started when it happened. There was a race called the Icen that had serious disputes with the Saiyans. Since it was before the war, it's not really well known throughout the other quadrants, but they resided in this quadrant. The Cold family, which consisted of King Cold and his two sons, Cooloer and Frieza, ruled the Icen. The Cold family specialized in the sale and conquest of other planets, and used the Saiyans as their dogs to do it. Frieza in particular liked to keep watch over his 'monkeys' as he liked to call us."

"Heheh well upon hearing that Frieza planned to conquer the rest of the galaxy by having the Tuffles eliminate us, a few lower-class Saiyans realized that Frieza planned to eliminate the only threat of stopping him: Vegetasei. So they gathered a resistance force and alerted the planet. Back then, there was no royal family and there were only two classes: elite and everyone else. So the lower class tried to warn the elites about the impending threat, but they were too concerned with the oncoming war and didn't think that the Icens would actually follow up on Frieza's command."

"So there was a great battle, but horribly enough, it was the entire lower class Saiyans versus Frieza. Needless to say, he whooped ass all over the planet, until a Saiyan by the name of Vegeta came along. Legend tells that he fought with a talent that no other Saiyan had ever possibly possessed. Their battle raged for a while, Frieza transforming three times in the attempt to end the fight. But Vegeta kept fighting. Finally, when Frieza turned into his final form, which is depicted in the picture, he thought he would win hands down. He thought rightly so, for then his power level was over one million. But then he made the mistake of taunting Vegeta. Generations of story telling have created fables of how or why, but we know for certain that Frieza somehow managed to kill Vegeta's wife and daughter in front of his very eyes. It was then that it happened."

"Overcome with a rage unmatched anywhere in this dimension, he ascended to a higher level of power and being… becoming something we know as the Legendary Super Saiyan. Witnesses describe his hair turning golden as his aura cracked and swirled around him, shown in the picture as well. His pupils meshed in with the whites of his eyes, and his veins seems ready to burst out of his skin before his transformation was complete and his eyes turned a teal color. He then single handedly defeated Frieza, also maintains his transformation long enough to eliminate the retaliation by King Cold. Unfortunately, Cooler turned out to be much more powerful than Frieza. In their last battle, the two ended in a powerful ki blast fight that ended up consuming them both."

"I thought you said that the royal line started then," Bulma pointed out suddenly. "How did that happen if he was dead?"

"Vegeta had a son. No one knows for sure how, but he survived the battle that day. Many are unclear on how this happened, for Vegeta was a vivacious fighter who for sure would've wanted to be involved in the fight. There is evidence, however, that his father knocked him out beforehand to ensure that such a thing wouldn't happen. It might have been that act that saved the family line and kept the son hidden."

"That son was King Vegeta I," Vegeta explained, stopping on cue in front of an ancient looking portrait of man that looked almost exactly like Vegeta. "The Atrosians ran tests on the son and discovered that there was a gene that allowed his father to transform. And that is what give the royal family such influence: the gene."

"Ahhh!" Bulma observed the portrait pointedly, wondering for a moment if the gene was dominant and was the same one giving them their looks. "So all of the royal family can turn 'Super Saiyan' then?"

"No. There has not been a transformation since the original. But like they say… it could be any one of us," Vegeta smirked. "Since then the lower class Saiyans have been more respected, for it was one of them that turned out to be the most powerful of them all. Elites do not take their stations for granted anymore, for we realized long ago that the power level one is born with is not necessarily a good determination of their future talent. There've been legends among the elites that it wasn't just Vegeta that destroyed Frieza, but a second Super Saiyan as well. But it's been so long, no one knows anymore. If there was a fellow Super Saiyan or a brother or such, history has lost him."

He thought of Kakorott as he mentioned this, wondering if it were possible….

Vegeta supposed he would just have to see.

"So what Vegeta are you? I mean as in first, second, third…"

"I am Vegeta XXIII," he pointed out, motioning down the long and never-ending line of portraits. Her jaw dropped as she walked along the corridor, counting each one until she reached the twenty-third one. "This one is mine."

She giggled as she saw practically no change in his features from the other ones. He looked like a clone of his father to the left, only without the mustache and with slightly darker hair. Looking between the two pictures, she mentally tried to imagine what their child would look like, but found herself grinning as she just imagined a tiny Vegeta running around in circles in their quarters.

Frowning at her mental image, Vegeta growled and decided to move on to show her the kitchen. Waiting for her to notice he was waiting on her, she finally followed in step with him and they made their way down a much larger and more populated area of the palace.

"This is the dining area. However, you, as royalty, can dine wherever the damn hell you please. The Science and Technologies department doesn't like food in there, but I'm sure for you they will make an exception when you start to reveal your talent for the area. You can use your scouter, once you receive it, to order. You can pull up a menu using the scouter as well." He quickly turned on heel and led her through yet another maze of hallways before stopping in a large circular room.

"This is the exact center of the palace. If you're ever lost, there will be arrows directing toward here. This contains a map and instructions on how to reach any part of the building, so just follow that. Now, I'll have to leave you here. I have business to attend to." He left rather suddenly, turning and having his cape swoosh behind him as he left her startled in the center of the room.

"Jackass…abandoning me like this" she muttered, walking around the room bored while trying to find another room to look at. "He DID say I have unlimited access to the palace, didn't he?" she murmured to herself, observing the different possible choices. She could make her way back to the Science and Technologies department, but what was the fun in that?

"Garden… kitchen… parlor? Hmm…" She cursed as she tried to translate the Saiyan. If only she had a scouter with her, she could have it translate for her. "That looks like a good room," she murmured as she observed the map. She briefly wondered what she would encounter on the way there before she quickly memorized the turns. Left… right… left… right. "God damn this place is huge," she whispered, rounding several corners. Right or left? Bah she couldn't remember. She'd just have to guess right. Here she found herself in front of a huge opened door leading in to what appeared to be a library. "Must've been a left, then."

Nevertheless, she decided the library looked like a good place to explore. She stepped in and glanced at all the books. She'd seen books before, but they were becoming fewer and fewer as technology advanced. Never before had she seen so many in one place. Her face saddened as she realized that the majority was written on the war.

"Too long has this lingered."

"I agree." Bulma turned to face the feminine voice. A short but buff female Saiyan gazed at her darkly as the Saiyan looked up from her book. Sitting at a gold table, the woman looked pretty young, around twenty earth years or so. But thinking of this reminded Bulma that Saiyan age was different, meaning she didn't know how much older Vegeta was either.

"Are you… the librarian?" Bulma questioned cautiously. The Saiyan female snorted before standing up and placing the book back on the shelf Bulma had been observing.

"No. I'm Dola, the author of these books."

"All of them?" Bulma gasped, looking up and down the rows of the enormous library.

"Yes. Most Saiyans have to head to war, so I'm the only historian."

"Why books? Why not use an electronic device?" Bulma asked sincerely. "It would probably be faster and it could reach more places."

"Exactly. Electronics can be tampered with. History can be changed that way. Once a book is published, the only way to change it is to destroy it. I find it's better to have no history than to have a false one. At least from a blank history you can start over."

Bulma nodded in understanding. Whoever this woman was, she was very profound and calculating. She also had a strange way about her; the woman had the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. They were black and cold… but worst of all they were empty. Her face was also very pale… much paler than most Saiyans. The Saiyans Bulma had seen so far were pretty tan, almost olive, and yet even the comparatively light-skinned Kakorott was a few shades darker than this woman. Bulma could tell from the haunting and foreboding appearance of Dola's face, as well as the stiff and uncomfortable demeanor, that Dola was a very tragic figure indeed.

"I have to go and file some download the log from the pods now so that I can record it in the log," Dola interrupted Bulma's thoughts, going back to fix the placement of the chair she'd been sitting in. "I'm sure we'll meet again sometime. And you were right, the parlor was that left turn." With that, Dola promptly turned and left.

"Saiyans must not like me very much. They say one thing and then they mysteriously have to be somewhere," Bulma muttered, walking back out into the hallway. Turning a right corner in order to correct herself on the left she should have taken before, she once again was lost. Figuring she should ask someone for directions, she found herself running into yet another Saiyan when she attempted to go through the door on her left.

"Ooof!" she grunted, rebounding back a few steps. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing," the tall Saiyan grunted. He adjusted his scouter and ran his hand through his hair.

"Do…. Do I know you?" she asked in a spooked tone, observing his face. He looked like Vegeta and yet… not like Vegeta. He had long black, spiky hair that jettisoned down his back and a huge, buff frame. He appeared rather shaken at her sudden appearance, and looked at her like she was a crazy psychopath.

"No. I'm Radditz. What are you, human?"

"Yes. I'm Bulma."

"Right, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm…. I'm marrying King Vegeta tomorrow."

"Okay, I know that. But what are you doing trying to get into this room? This is the men's restroom."

"Oh!" Bulma gasped, blushing profoundly as she quickly backed away from the vicinity of the doorway. "I'm… I'm so sorry! I had no idea… I'm just lost and-"

"You're lost?" At the explanation, his face relaxed considerably and he had a small smirk in the corner of his mouth. "Fine I'll take you back to his highness' room."

"Um… alright. Thank you," she mumbled softly as she followed his lead. "What was your name, again?"

"Radditz. Radditz Son."

"You're related to Kakorott and Bardock?"

"Yes," he answered, humored. "I look nothing like them, though." She nodded in response, looking him over again. He certainly didn't look like Bardock and Kakorott, but how should she know how family Saiyan resemblances work? All she knew was that all Saiyans were muscle. "So I take it you're President Briefs?"

"Yes. Bulma Briefs."

"That explains why you were so lost. Since you're going to be here a while, you need to learn how to read and speak Saiyan. We who work in the palace know how to speak all the languages of the people involved in the war, but others out in the cities and country will not be able to understand you. And if you ever need help from one of your subjects and you didn't have a working scouter, it would be a bad thing not to know how to communicate with them."

"Ah, I figured that. Is Saiyan much different from English?"

"A bit. Obviously I don't find it difficult since I speak it often, so I can't say how hard it will be for you to learn it. If the reports are correct in your intelligence, I suppose it wouldn't take you too long."

"Alright. What exactly do they say about me, anyway?"

"You can see for yourself once you have a scouter. The database has reports on every major figure from every planet involved in the war. You were high priority, too, for your position."

By now they'd wound there way to and fro in what had seemed like an endless jigsaw puzzle of hallways and corridors. He even took her through a large room, claiming it was a shortcut.

"Gosh this place is huge."

"It's not that big once you're used to it. It shouldn't take you too long."

"That's what they told me when I was a freshman in high school," she grumbled, realizing that she did, in fact, learn her way around the school and that he had a good point. She finally remembered where she was at when she recognized the hallway of the King Vegeta portraits.

"There you are!" Chi-Chi gasped, coming from the other end of the hall. "I picked up that scouter for you." Running up to Bulma like she hadn't seen her in months, Chi-Chi giddily handed her the scouter. "These things are amazing!"

"News travels fast in these parks," Bulma noted. "I see you two have been updated on the scouters."

"Yea," Kakorott nodded. "Vegeta wants to see you. He wants to run you through everything for the crowning ceremony. He's already made the announcement public."

"Okay," Bulma agreed. She turned back to Radditz. "Thank you very much for your help. I would've been lost forever!"

"No problem, your highness. I must be on my way now," he related before bowing to her and giving a nod and wave to Kakorott.

"See ya later, bro!" Kakorott yelled with a goofy grin before looking back down to the two human women. "Alright, time to go."

"Oh! Um… alright," Bulma agreed, still uneasy about the whole 'marrying the King of Vegetasei' thing. She began to question what kind of tasks she would have to perform. How different was a marriage on Vegetasei? Would she have to pass some kind of test? What if copulation was part of the marriage ceremony?

"Don't be ridiculous," Kakorott scoffed at her thoughts. "It's nothing like that." Still not completely reassured, she sighed as she allowed him to lead the way back to her quarters. Left… right… left… right. The palace was one big giant maze. Maybe one test would be to find your way to the entrance.

She found herself once again in the gigantic quarters that would eventually become hers. Well… and Vegeta's. "Wow… big room, Bulma," Chi-Chi gaped.

"Yea, isn't it? Wait… where are you staying?"

"Oh…" Kakorott murmured, obviously surprised by the thought. "I hadn't really considered that. Umm. I suppose I'll have a guest room set up."

"No, Kakorott. All the guest rooms are booked due to tomorrow's crowning," Vegeta informed him, coming from the balcony. "I've already checked it on the scouter. She'll have to stay with you."

"B…b…." Kakorott blushed, obviously wanting to protest. "Alright," he agreed, straightening up as he reminded himself that the orders came straight from the king. "Come with me," he ordered Chi-Chi, leading her back into the maze of a place.

"I'll see you later, Bulma," Chi-Chi called nervously as she left, tapping the scouter as a reminder. Scouter in hand, Bulma smiled as she latched it on.

"Good. You have it. Now, about the ceremony," Vegeta mused. "It's not difficult, but it's very tiring. We have to stop once in every major city on Vegetasei."

"That's not so bad," Bulma perked.

"There are 400 of them." Her face immediately dropping, she briefly wondered how long that would take.

"Oh."

"And we have to do this within a day here. Which is about 40 Earth hours."

"But…but…" Bulma sputtered, "That's 10 cities per hour! 6 minutes in each, excluding travel time!"

"Don't be ridiculous, woman. It takes us only a minute from city to city. And they'll be prepared for us, so they'll know we'll only be there a short time."

"Jeez," she huffed. "Well fine. I already frickin married you on Earth. Might as well go through with it here, too."

Pondering what the word "frickin" meant, he narrowed his eyes before motioning towards the bathroom. "There's a walk in closet in there. Go pick one of the dresses on the far left."

"And how many people would have worn it before me?" Bulma questioned suspiciously.

"No one. Each dress the future queen picks is hers and hers alone. A new wardrobe is made every time."

"Damn, I wish they gave me this sort of attention back on Earth," she muttered, heading towards the bathroom.

Here Vegeta took off his scouter and set it on one of the nightstands across the room. He started to walk to the bed before he remembered something, turning back to the scouter and adjusting it. Then he promptly removed his cape, neatly folding it and pressing it into the dresser. Smoothing the folds out, he then proceeded to remove his armor and set it on top. Clad in spandex, he strolled over to the bed before collapsing on it. Keeping to one edge, he turned away on his side from the rest of the bed, towards the balcony, his back to the bathroom and Bulma.

She came out holding a pretty blood red dress that looked like it would suit her nicely. She set it down on a chair that was by the bathroom door before heading over to the bed. Noticing that Vegeta was already in it, she checked her watch to find that it would've been 11:30 PM on Earth. Figuring it must've been bedtime on Vegetasei as well, she shifted uncomfortably as she wondered if she should crawl into the bed as well.

"I'm not going to jump you woman. Now get over here and sleep. We're going to be up all day tomorrow."

Jumping at the sound of his voice, she nervously approached the bed and climbed into the sheets. She turned to her side and stuck to the edge of the bed, her back to Vegeta's.

"Vegeta?" she asked, turning back over slightly to look at him. "I…" She forgot what she was going to say, or what she wanted to say rather.

"What is it, woman?"

"Someone I met in the palace today suggested I learn Saiyan in case I don't have a working scouter and I need to communicate with someone."

"Yes, that's occurred to me. I already have five different languages you should learn in mind."

He'd obviously thought of everything. She signed and quieted again as she attempted to sleep to no avail. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of what. The words were lost. She racked her brain over and over as a feeling that she was forgetting something bothered her. Her search was fruitless.

"What's the problem, woman? You're thoughts are jumbling around in my head."

"It's just… well. I suppose…" She paused for a moment and turned back to her edge of the bed. "I guess…thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to end this damn war."

"It is you who agreed, woman. If you'd refused it would've dragged out even longer, or both our quadrants would have been crushed by the North Quadrant."

She thought for a moment, thinking how stupid it was that people found her brave or noble or deserving of thanks just for marrying to win the war. They would praise her for sacrifice. As if she had a choice. As if anybody else would have done anything differently.

How would her life had been if there had been no war? If all this chaos never started all those years back? What would have happened if Vegeta had never come to Earth? Or if the North was never formed? Would her life be any different? Any less chaotic?

She pondered what her future husband would have looked like, or even if she ever would have married. She wondered how much her personality would have changed, how much happier she would have been if none of this existed. What would a normal life consist of? She really didn't know. All her life she'd known the war, and nothing else. She was raised for it, she was born for it, she born into it.

What if she'd never met Vegeta? What if he'd never asked her to marry him, or if he'd never proposed an alliance? All those years of Earth's resistance to extinction would've been put to waste when the North would have swept down upon them and crushed them like cockroaches.

She thought about the man laying in the bed beside her. Already she was feeling some sort of strange attachment to him. Surely it was a chemical reaction in her brain adjusting to the new information that she was married to him. That she would be with him for the rest of her life. That she would have to copulate with him in only a short time. Perhaps her brain was forcing her to become attached, even attracted to him, in preparation for the future. For the inevitable future.

But it could have been worse. He didn't seem all that bad. Already he'd shown some of his more jackass-ish traits, but nobody was perfect. He didn't threaten her or anything. He'd been rather civil to her. And she had to admit he was very attractive. It could've been someone much worse. It could've been a repulsive, non-humanoid alien that would impregnate her with tentacles and weird hybrid eggs. Or a seriously mentally challenged moron. Or just a complete monster.

The thought made her double think her marriage. She knew nothing of Vegeta. He could have killed millions. He could be responsible for complete holocausts.

"_This is a war_."

The reminder made her realize that indeed, it could've been much, much worse. "_I'm very lucky._" But more importantly, the people who would benefit from her actions were lucky. Her children. And her children's children.

Vegeta groaned in annoyance at the sense that she was still deep in thought.

"What is it now?"

"I was just thinking about how incredibly important we are." He paused for a moment, and for a split second she thought he was just going to disregard her comment.

"What do you mean?"

"This… our marriage. It's amazing how incredibly important it is. Our actions are going to affect so many things… so many people," she whispered.

"Woman," he growled softly, shifting a bit. "People in positions to change things are always afraid that they are going to change things for the worst. Am I correct?" He wanted to know what was wrong. He was becoming uneasy at her anxious attitude.

"Yes. I always find myself questioning what we're fighting for. If we're right. I mean… what if we're on the right side? What if… we're the bad guys?"

"War is nothing but point of view, woman. You cannot stop fighting. If you stop, then you don't survive."

"But… why have we never asked ourselves exactly _why_ we _deserve_ to survive? What if… we don't?"

He paused for a moment. Obviously her question perplexed him. He'd never really considered any of the things she said, and for some odd reason neither had she. All the events in the past day had confused her, but at the same time had opened her mind to a new perspective.

He turned onto his back to look at her, while she turned around to face him. "Listen. No one _deserves_ to survive. Life is meaningless, and life is lived only to live. Life isn't fair. Those who have more of a right to survive don't, and those who don't sometimes live the longest. Someone is going to win this war. And whoever does will be 'right', regardless of the loser's opinion. We just have to keep pushing forward. It's embedded in our very nature to just survive. You cannot stop to question yourself, for if you do you risk everything. There's a time to question and a time to answer."

"If you question at the wrong time, you risk losing the answer forever. And if you answer at the wrong time, you may never know the question you're answering. So we must just continue to exist. Our actions may end the war. But then again it may not. It may have been easier for us to just surrender, to allow ourselves to be destroyed. But would we really want that? To give up on life? We're fighting for our right to live. We're fighting to prove that we deserve to exist. We're fighting because we have to, because it's in our nature."

Bulma sighed, letting his wisdom sink in. His words calmed her, made her feel secure. They made her feel confident. "Who the hell started this damn thing, anyway?"

"I don't know, woman. But whoever it was is surely burning in hell for it." She gave him a look of admiration before he turned back over to his side. She was very glad that it was Vegeta she married and not some half-wit.

"How did you become so profound?" she asked seriously

"I didn't. Something about you must've spurred me." She smiled and turned back to her side.

"Since you're on such a roll, what's the meaning of life?"

"The meaning of life is to sleep, woman," he growled softly. "Now live to your full meaning. We have a full day tomorrow." She giggled softly. Perhaps she could still obtain happiness with him, indeed.

"One more thing…" She turned back to Vegeta, a motion he mirrored. She looked at his blank and expectant face across the bed. "Well… I know we don't know each other that much. And I know this is a political marriage that's going to save both our planets but… um. I'm glad it was you." Feeling her checks burn, she quickly turned back towards her side of the bed.

The last thing she heard before she drifted off was: "Me too, woman. Me, too."

* * *

**This chapter feels funny. Please R & R! Was it good? Bad? Pathetically sad? Please let me know!**


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